


The Wedding of Mick Mercury

by KikiJ



Series: Duke Rose's Wedding Date Service [1]
Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Oral Sex, Other, Semi-Public Sex, Smut, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Wedding Date AU, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:16:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27127090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KikiJ/pseuds/KikiJ
Summary: Juno Steel, PI, needs/wants a date for the wedding of (one of) his best friend(s), Mick Mercury. Thanks to his other best friend and secretary, Rita, leaving some well-placed adverts around their office, he decides to contact Duke Rose, of Duke Rose’s Wedding and Event Date Services.Juno assumes it will be simple, just show up together, act like a couple, that’s it. Duke is a professional, though, and he intends for Juno to get his creds’ worth during their business engagement. Thus, Juno’s new boyfriend, Elias Slate, is created.Juno gets the chance to spend a delightful evening with this new beau- and maybe even see a glimpse of the man behind the mask while he’s at it.
Relationships: Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel
Series: Duke Rose's Wedding Date Service [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1980010
Comments: 29
Kudos: 99





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> rated and tagged for the second and third chapters, a few more details will be added on the notes of the second chapter ;)

“Thank you, for meeting me here,” Juno Steel said, as he sat down, placing a cup of coffee on the table before him. The man across from him, Duke Rose, was glancing at the menu, though he already had a latte in a wide cup on the table.

Duke placed the menu back down and regarded Juno with a discerning eye.

“Of course. It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Steel,” Duke said, smiling warmly. “Now,” he said, placing his hands on a digital notebook in front of him, “on the comms, you said you were in need of my services for a…?”

“Wedding. My friend Mick is getting married to his partner Astrid,” Juno supplied. Duke gave a single nod.

“And this takes place in two weeks, yes?” Duke glanced down at his digital notebook, taking the magnetic pen on the side and scrolling down.

“Yep,” Juno said. “So, can you do it?”

“My schedule is free that evening,” Duke confirmed. “So we’re in business! I just need to go over some things with you. I take it you read the consent form and contract I sent over?”

“Read and signed,” Juno said, twisting to dig some papers out of a black messenger and sliding them over. He had a silver watch on his wrist, analog. Duke took the sheets and slipped them into a bag of his own.

“Excellent,” Duke said, adjusting his glasses on his nose. They had a gold chain on each arm that went around his neck. “So, you’d said you would like to purport our relationship as one that has been going on for some time?”

“Preferably, yeah,” Juno said with a sigh in his voice. “It wouldn’t be _that_ weird, for me, if I hadn’t told my friends, so- if we could pretend we’ve been dating for a few months… that would work best.”

Duke quirked his brow when Juno said his friends wouldn’t find it odd if he hadn’t mentioned a months-old relationship. He wrote something down on his notebook. “That is fine, Mr. Steel,” Duke said. “I just have a few questions for you, in that case,” Duke said.

“Okay, shoot,” Juno leaned back in his chair and sipped his coffee.

“Tell me about yourself, Juno,” Duke said. Juno perked a brow.

“Uh,” Juno said. Duke smiled politely.

“What do you do for a living, Mr. Steel?” Duke clarified, giving some direction.

“Oh, uh. I’m a Private Investigator,” he started, then added, “an ex-cop.”

“My, what an interesting career,” Duke said with smile just a hint above polite. Juno just gave half a sneer and shrugged. “Dangerous,” Duke commented.

“Yeah, I mean,” Juno sort of gestured to his face. Duke had not planned on asking about the scars, as that would be awfully rude.

“Okay… what do you do in your spare time?” Duke asked. Juno just frowned and shrugged again.

“Not much? I watch streams with my secretary. I hang out with my twin brother. I get drunk sometimes, I don’t know.”

Duke continued to make little notes. “Mhmm... Anything else, no other hobbies?”

Juno made a noise of amusement. “Not really,” he said, then cleared his throat. “Sometimes I go out to the shooting range? I’m a pretty good shot, so, I make sure to stay practiced.” Juno propped an elbow up on the table, his chin in his hand.

“I see,” Duke said. He tapped his well-maintained nails on the table between them. “Hmmm.”

“Is this, like, necessary?” Juno asked, frowning. Duke quirked a brow again.

“Of course it is. If we’re to craft a fake relationship we’ve been experiencing, I must know about you. We must figure out how we fit together,” Duke told him.

“Oh,” Juno said. “I guess I just thought we’d show up and say we were together,” Juno shrugged. Duke gave an airy laugh.

“Well, I would like to _earn_ the creds I collect from this business. If we are to convince your close friends, we will need to be prepared. This is what you are truly paying me for, after all,” Duke explained.

“Honestly, it won’t be that hard,” Juno gave a little roll of his eyes. He sipped his coffee again.

“Indulge me,” Duke said. Then, he cleared his throat. “Do you know how to dance?”

“I’m passable,” Juno told him, glancing around himself. Duke nodded.

“If you would like, I can arrange classes, for a minor fee,” Duke said.

“Nah,” Juno said, waving his hand.

“Alright,” Duke said carefully. “If you step on my foot, that is also an extra fee,” he said. Juno snorted.

“I’m not that bad, okay?” he said. A smile played up on Duke’s lips. He lifted his cup and sipped, “My brother is a professional dancer, if I sucked that badly, I’d never live it down.”

“Oh, how interesting,” Duke said. He took a mental note of that statement, and cleared his throat. “And, if I may ask… what are you like, generally, when you’re in a relationship?” Duke tilted his head and awaited the answer.

“Fucking stupid,” Juno answered with a roll of his eyes. Duke regarded him over the rim of his glasses.

“Care to elaborate?” Duke pressed. Juno scowled and continued to avoid eye contact.

“Not really, but I guess I will anyway,” Juno said.

“Please, Mr. Steel,” Duke waved a hand for him to continue.

“Well, how’s about this? My most notable relationship ended in a wedding that didn’t happen- not that marrying them would have been wise either,” Juno said. “Since then, I’ve been relatively unattached, save for a few short relationships and a bunch of one-night-stands,” Juno confessed. “So, short answer is, I don’t know anymore.”

“Do you still believe in love, dear detective?” Duke asked- or maybe that was Peter slipping out. He perked a brow anyway.

“What kind of question-” Juno scowled, then shrugged his shoulders. “I guess? I doubt it will happen for _me_ , but,” he finally met Duke’s eyes again. “I still believe love exists. I know Mick loves his partner, for instance, and I can only pray his wedding works out better than mine did. I know it will, though,” Juno said, his voice getting quieter as he spoke.

“Thank you very much, for sharing that with me,” Duke said. He scribbled down a few more notes, then tapped his pen against his lip. “Hm, yes,” he said, to himself.

Juno quietly sipped his coffee, a frown on his lips.

“Alright,” Duke said, “I think I have enough information. Would you be available to meet again, the same time next week, at this location? At that time, I will give you a detailed explanation of our relationship. As well,” he paused, “if you could send me photographs of your wedding outfit, in proper lighting.”

“Sure thing. Oh, uh, I guess it’s important to say: I’m standing in the wedding,” Juno said, then he glanced Duke up and down. “Also, um… If I can ask this, can you try not to be _too_ fancy? Mick and his partner, uh… they don’t have tons of money. It-it’s just not going to be the most avant-garde affair in the world, if you know what I mean.”

Duke nodded slowly as Juno explained the situation. Then, he smiled warmly again, his voice taking on a slight air of teasing, “I promise to not show up the groom, Mr. Steel.”

“Okay, thanks,” Juno said, quiet. “Okay. I’ll see you here next week.”

“Until we meet again,” Duke said, almost offhand as he looked at his notes.

Juno got up, slung his bag over his shoulder, and stalked out of the café. Duke Rose did turn to watch him leave, and then glanced back to his notebook look over his writing.

\--

As he said he would, Juno turned back up to the café the following week. He ordered a coffee, and then sat down.

Duke Rose took a seat across from him, placing his cup of tea on the table.

“Hello, Mr. Steel,” Duke greeted with a pleasant smile.

“Mr. Rose,” Juno greeted. Duke opened his digital notebook and took out some sheets of paper.

“How are you?” Duke asked. Juno was fiddling with the silver watch on his wrist.

“Fine,” Juno said, distractedly.

“That’s a nice watch,” Duke said, amusement playing up on his lips. Juno looked at him. “Is it truly analog?”

“Thanks, yeah,” Juno said. “I’m actually kind of shit with technology. I think the battery is dead in it, anyway, though,” Juno said.

“Oh, how unfortunate. Surely there’s at least one repair service in Hyperion City?”

“Yeah. I suppose I could just take it back to the place I got it from. It’s from one of my first cases,” he said, giving up with a sigh as he put his hands on the table.

“Oh?” Duke said.

“Yeah, I was looking into something on behalf of the owner of those vintage stores, and as a thank-you, the man gave me this watch,” Juno explained, with little fanfare.

“It’s quite beautiful,” Duke commented. Juno just shrugged.

“Yeah it’s… nice,” Juno said. Then, he cleared his throat, “Should we get to it, then?” Juno asked. “Technically, I have a case I should be working on as we speak.”

“Of course, dear detective,” Duke said with a smirk. He placed some sheets of paper down on the table and cleared his throat. “My name is Elias Slate,” he said.

“I thought it was Duke Rose?”

“That is the name associated with my business, thus it would be easily traced back to this service, Mr. Steel. I don’t think that would be wise, seeing as we’ll be faking a relationship,” Duke pointed out, adjusting his glasses.

“Right,” Juno looked sheepish and Duke couldn’t resist smirking at him.

“Anyway,” Duke sipped his tea, “my name is Elias Slate. You and I met in a bar five months ago. I saw you there, sitting across from me, and I was taken by your looks,” Duke glanced up at Juno, who was eyeing him carefully. “I smiled at you. You smiled back at me. I took it upon myself to go over and introduce myself to you. You offered to buy me a drink, and we hit it off. This is how our relationship began. Any question, or issues?”

“No. Sounds fine,” Juno said, brows slightly furrowed. Duke nodded.

“You asked to see me again before I left for the night, and I eagerly accepted. I suggested a classic Earth-style diner for our first date and _you_ eagerly accepted. We did not kiss until our second date, which occurred at this very café. This was highly unusual for you,” Duke went on, unable to keep the smirk out of his voice. Juno shifted in his chair. “Does this sound agreeable?”

“Sure,” Juno said, glancing over at the wall.

“We enjoy watching streams together, whatever your favourite genre is, you can tell me via message. We go to a restaurant most weeks whichever night you’re free, and we always argue over who will get the bill. Each week, we agree the person who did not pay that time will pay next week, yet we still bicker all the same. It’s innocuous, though, bordering on flirty. Do you think this makes sense for us?”

“Yeah, I could see myself doing that,” Juno said with a little roll of his eyes. Duke went on,

“I am a classic romantic,” Duke said. “You are, too, though you are less forthcoming about that aspect of yourself. Still, we are quite smitten, if not without our problems. I enjoy walks near the lake in Halcyon Park, and so you take me there most weekends. You enjoy them, too, which is another thing you are less forthcoming about,” he said. “Sound good?”

“Sure,” Juno nodded again, picking at a loose thread on the cuff of his coat.

“I am mildly concerned about your profession,” Duke went on, “I believe you’re doing good, but it’s a dangerous job, and I am worried about your recklessness. This is a point of contention, but our relationship is too new for us to face it head on. Why bother, if we aren’t sure how long we’ll last?”

Juno had a sour look on his face.

“Does this sound unrealistic, Mr. Steel?” Duke asked, tilting his head to the side.

“No,” Juno snipped. “It sounds perfectly realistic,” he said.

“Then, I am doing my job well,” Duke said. Juno just nodded with a grimace.

“You are worried you are growing too attached to me too quickly, but, similarly, if we aren’t sure how long we will last, why should you bother worrying about it?” Duke asked. “Does that sound fitting?

Juno pulled another face. “Yeah,” he said, slowly.

“Good. These are the general details of our relationship. I have also created a timeline for our dates, but if any of them conflict with events that occurred in your life, please edit them and send them back to me,” Duke said, sliding the papers to Juno. “As for the description of our relationship, please memorize it and then destroy it. I will destroy my own record, as well.”

“Okay,” Juno nodded. “Is that… it?”

“Almost. I have received the photos of your dress,” Duke said, then he reached into his bag and pulled out a tie, “do you think this colour matches it?”

Juno took the tie, long and pink, “Yeah, I’d say.” He passed the tie back.

“Good,” Duke said. He tucked the tie away once more. “As well, I am aware that you have already read and signed the consent form and contract, but it is important to me to reiterate a few points out loud before the day.”

“Okay,” Juno said.

Duke went on, “Namely, with regard to touching one another, and kissing.” Duke could see the expression on Juno’s face change to one of mild embarrassment. “In the contract, you agreed that I may touch your arms, hands, and back as we move around the room or while we sit next to one another. You also agreed that we may kiss, granted l always give a verbal or nonverbal signal before initiating, and I expect you to do a the same. Do we need to re-evaluate anything? Of course, consent can be revoked at any time.”

“No re-evaluation needed,” Juno confirmed, nodding. Duke nodded as well.

“You have already paid a non-refundable deposit, and I will collect either half or full payment for the evening before the event, and the other half after.”

“Mhmm,” Juno said.

“Finally, I am not an _escort_ service in the sense that my services include sexual intimacy,” Duke went on. Juno pressed his lips together and glanced down, looking incredibly uncomfortable. “However, the nature of my work poses the, shall we say, _risk_ of … connecting, with clients. If something organic occurs outside of the professional scope of our relationship, this is fine, but it is not expected. I hope you understand,” Duke said.

“Crystal clear,” Juno said, sounding miserable. “Is _that_ all? I’d like to walk into traffic, now.”

“At the thought of us connecting?” Duke asked, unable to hide the teasing in his voice, “you wound me so, Mr. Steel.”

Juno tilted his head towards the ceiling and groaned. “There’s no way this is professional behaviour,” he half-snapped.

Duke chuckled lightly. “Perhaps not. I just want to be as clear as possible with you about the nature of our relationship, as well as understanding that we are both human, at the end of the day.”

“Well, I got it. If we have sex, it’s not because I paid you for it. Great,” Juno said. Duke just smiled.

“That does seem to be all, then. I will see you the day of the wedding. Please, remember to call me Elias. Or Eli, if you prefer,” Duke said.

“Sure, Elias,” Juno said. “I think you should probably call me Juno, too, then,” he pointed out.

“Of course I will, Juno,” Duke said. Or, Elias, he supposed. “Until we meet again.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as per the tags, this chapter contains: semi-public sex, vaginal fingering, and a blow job. 
> 
> with that, for this fic, I've written Juno as amab but having had bottom surgery, so he has a vagina and the word used to refer to this body part is generally "cunt". Peter has a penis and the word used for it is generally "cock".   
> Please be cautious/don't read if this isn't your jam for this pairing!!

The wedding venue was small, but nicely decorated. It was on the same lot as a motel, which was owned by the same company.

Before the ceremony started, Juno met up with Elias, smoothing out the collar of his slightly ill-fitting suit and telling him that he’d be sitting with Rita, Juno’s _other_ best friend.

Elias wore no glasses, and no jewelry other than some simple earrings that went with the colour of the suit and two rings on his left hand.

“My brother, and Rita- they both know, about us,” Juno whispered in Elias’ ear, pressing a kiss to his cheek and smiling. Juno was already better at acting than Peter had predicted based on their meetings. Or, perhaps he was just sincerely in a better mood. It was a wedding, and Juno was a romantic, after all.

“As in?” Elias tilted his head.

“The ruse,” Juno murmured, then tilted his chin up. Elias perked a brow, and then leaned down. Juno’s lips met his in a chaste kiss, and then he pulled away.

Elias looked Juno up and down with a big smile on his face. Juno was wearing a long, soft pink dress. There was an underskirt that stopped at his knees and a see-through overlay that reached his ankles. It was the same as Astrid’s sister, who was standing somewhere down the hall from them. Juno had a few flowers in his hair. 

“Juno, are you almost ready?” a voice came from behind the two of them. There was a woman coming up to them, wearing a light grey suit.

“Just about, Sasha,” Juno said, looking over his shoulder at her. He turned back to Elias and leaned forward again, and Elias pecked him once more.

“See you after the ceremony,” Juno said quietly, not introducing him to Sasha. Elias remembered her from Juno’s brief, which explained people Juno would have told about a partner of five months. Juno told him that he’d also brought up their relationship during the bachelor party they hosted for Mick a few nights ago. 

Juno had wired him the money that morning, the ceremony was taking place was mid-afternoon.

With Juno walking away, Elias went into the venue and found Rita easily, recognizing her from a picture Juno had sent. She clung to his arm and dragged him to their seats.

It seemed Juno had done more than just mentioned their arrangement to her, as she was familiar with the details of the relationship that Duke had created. Elias figured this made sense, as Juno didn’t seem to be particularly unintelligent. If she was going to be a liability, Juno wouldn’t have told her. 

Rita talked his ear off, commenting on the décor and emphasizing,

“Oh, I love weddings!”

“As do I,” Elias said with another big smile. She grinned right back at him. “I suspect Juno likes them, as well.”

“Oh, Mista Steel _definitely_ likes weddings. Or, at least, he likes them again, now,” Rita said, then pulled a little face.

“He has told me,” Elias confessed, “about… his prior experience, involving a wedding.”

“Really?” Rita said, she sounded actually surprised. Elias nodded. “Huh. Wouldn’ta thought he’d bring that up already,” she shrugged.

Then they had to quiet down, as the procession started.

There was a flower child, and a ringbearer, and then the people standing in the wedding. Juno walked up the aisle with his arm looped in that of another man, a close friend of Astrid’s, or so Eli was told. Sasha walked with Astrid’s sister, and then Juno’s twin, Benzaiten, walked up with someone that Elias knew next to nothing of.

Understandably, Benzaiten looked incredibly similar to Juno. He was wearing a grey tux like Sasha, and his hair was shorter than Juno’s. Elias thought, perhaps, he stood just a smidge taller than Juno. His good posture was possibly due to his dancing career, though. 

Mick and Astrid walked up together, each with a parent on either side of them. They looked giddy, a bit nervous.

Elias wasn’t lying, when he told Rita he liked weddings. He was a romantic, after all. Peter liked them, too, though. He also happened to be a romantic, deep in his heart.

Mick and Astrid pledged their love to one another in a mostly traditional ceremony, invoking a God at one point or another, and then kissing and signing the marriage license.

For the most part, Elias’s eyes were on Juno, who was smiling softly at his friend Mick. Occasionally, his eyes would dart across the crowd and his smile would falter just slightly, but he would then train his gaze back on Mick and a smile would take over his features, again.

Juno’s scars were softened, all but erased, by an amount of makeup. Elias (and, perhaps, Peter) thought he preferred it when he could see Juno’s scars. The scars were a part of him, after all. Elias was well on his way to falling in love with Juno entirely, of course. As Duke Rose had dictated.

Next, the guests all shuffled out from the ceremony space to the reception area. It was down the hall, within the same building. 

Juno and Benzaiten had to hang back to take photographs, so Elias stuck near Rita.

“I don’t really know anybody else here, either,” Rita commented, glancing around. Elias nodded and drank some of the sparkling wine that was provided.

Elias looked out at the crowd and his fingers itched just a bit. It was the perfect function to pick pockets. People would have their wallets ready to buy drinks after the dinner. Still, Elias wasn’t a thief, even if Peter was. Either way, he shoved the thought back quickly, and smiled at Rita.

“So, you’ve known Juno for quite a while, hm? And how long have you known Mr. Mercury?” Elias asked, to take the temptation off his mind.

“Me and Mista Steel go way back, now, definitely over a decade,” Rita said. “I met Mick not too long after I met Mista Steel, but we don’t spend too much time together, really,” Rita shrugged her shoulders. “He does look awfully handsome today, though,” Rita sighed wistfully, probably just because of the general atmosphere of the wedding.

“Indeed,” Elias said. Rita ended up talking about a stream she’d seen recently, one of those shows where they pick wedding gowns and décor. Elias commented on a similar one he had watched, and they bonded over the annoying parents and friends that could _never_ respect the wishes of the betrothed.

“Hey,” Juno entered their conversation, coming up between them with Ben at his heels. Elias placed his hand on the small of Juno’s back.

“Mista Steel!” Rita greeted. Juno smiled at her.

“Our photos are done, Mick and Astrid will still be a while,” Juno told them. Elias dropped a kiss on his cheek.

Juno smiled up at him, eyes bright. His affect was so entirely different from the times they’d met in that coffee shop. It was mesmerizing.

“Blech, you two are gross,” Ben said with a sniff. Juno rolled his eyes, like he always did, but there was still a smile on his lips.

“It’s a wedding, Benzaiten. If there’s ever a time people are allowed to be gross, it’s now,” Juno rationalized.

“Speaking of! We should find me someone to flirt with,” Rita said, bumping her arm against Juno.

“Oh, hell yes,” Ben said, his eyes dancing as he glanced across the room.

“Oh, I would like to play along,” Elias said, and the four of them gazed at the crowd. They picked out a few people for Rita to try her luck with, a woman in a light red dress, another in a crisp black suit with no tie, and, a person in a sunnier outfit.

“Alright,” Rita said, “challenge accepted. After the dinner, though.” Juno laughed at her.

“We’ve gotta get going, we’re going to walk back in,” Juno rolled his eyes, but he still had that dreamy smile on his face. He turned to Elias, and Elias leaned down this time. They kissed.

This time, Rita said “awwh” and Juno rolled his eyes once more. He and Ben left the two of them behind.

Rita and Elias found seats at a round table with some other sort-of friends and rather extended family and turned to watch as the wedding party was re-introduced.

Dinner was a fun affair. They got their food via buffet. As everyone ate, Juno and Sasha stood up to deliver a speech together. They played off one another well, for people who had an obviously tense relationship (at least in recent years. Juno had mentioned they used to be quite close).

“Mick has always been an incredible story-teller,” Juno said, holding some cue-cards in his hand, “Of course, most of his stories were bullshit,” the crowd laughed. “Not this one. The love story between Mick and Astrid is a real as they come,” Juno went on, warmth and emotion in his voice. Sasha smiled and popped in, elaborating on the late-night call she received the night after Mick met his new spouse, and how they’d all known so quickly the two were meant to be together.

When they were finished, Juno was wiping a tear from his eye and Mick walked over to hug his two friends closely. Then, Astrid’s sister and best friend gave a speech of their own, with a similar level of sap.

As soon as the dinner was done, Juno returned to Rita and Elias, leaning over the table because there were no free chairs. Elias had lost sight of Benzaiten, but he paid no mind.

“Mista Steel, your speech was _so good_ ,” Rita said.

“It was really quite beautiful, Juno. It’s evident, how much you care for Mick and his love,” Elias said.

Juno scoffed, “What? I don’t care about that guy at all, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The three of them laughed, and Juno smiled at Elias. Such a bright, sunny face. Elias returned the smile, small, but sweet.

“I’m gonna go get another drink,” Rita said, making to stand.

“Okay, I’m stealing your chair,” Juno said. The two of them looked at one another for a moment, and then Rita left. As promised, he sat in Rita’s chair and pulled it in close to Elias.

“Are you having fun, Juno?” Elias asked.

“I am,” Juno said. “Sorry for sort of… asking you here and then abandoning you the whole time with Rita,” Juno pressed his lips together. They were a blotted red, going well with the soft colour of his dress.

“Oh, don’t fret about that at all. I’m having a fine time. Plus, Rita is delightful,” Elias said.

“This is true,” Juno nodded, glancing back, before then putting his arms on the table and slouching inelegantly. “Don’t tell her I said that, though.” Elias considered that perhaps he’d been hired for Rita’s sake, since she knew nobody else at the wedding. Or, perhaps, his role was doubly useful. Outwardly, Elias just smiled.

“You look beautiful, by the way,” Elias said. “I didn’t have a chance to tell you earlier,” Elias placed a hand on the back of Juno’s hand.

Juno smiled up at him, rolled his eyes. “You look good, too,” Juno said. Elias laughed.

“Not too good, I hope?” he smirked.

“Yeah, don’t get a big head,” Juno told him. They both chuckled.

Then, Rita was returning with drinks, not just for herself, but for the three of them. Elias accepted the wine flute with a “thank you,” and a gracious smile. She stood at the table.

“No problem!” Rita said. They had a moment to sip their drinks, and chat idly.

Before long, though, an announcer requested they stand and gather around for the couple’s first dance, so they did just that.

Elias placed his hand on Juno’s back, watching as Mick led Astrid to the middle of the floor, looking happy and nervous.

Their dance was standard. Every so often, Elias glanced down at Juno’s face, watching as he watched his best friend with a wistful expression. It was a beautiful look on him, if a touch sad.

As someone brushed against his shoulder, taking a photo from their comms, Elias couldn’t help but think of slipping his hand into a pocket once again. He brushed the thought aside, looking back at Juno, who was looking at him, this time.

He winked, and Juno made a silent noise of amusement. Elias bent forward, and they kissed briefly.

Next, each spouse danced with their parent, and everyone continued to watch on.

After that, though, dancefloor was open. Elias stood back and offered his hand. Juno accepted it, and they danced.

“So, you _can_ dance, hm?” Elias asked, holding himself if the proper position for a waltz.

“I knew you didn’t believe me,” Juno said with a huff. “I’m not bad at all, you’ll find,” Juno insisted. Elias chuckled.

“I do stand corrected,” Elias said, “Or, at least, caught underestimating you.”

“Mhh,” Juno said. “A classic mistake,” he said. Elias laughed again, and Juno laughed with him.

Elias motioned for Juno to spin around, and he did so. He also dipped Juno with only little warning, which caught Juno slightly off-guard. He adjusted just fine, but Elias had seen the momentary panic in his eyes. It was sinful, the enjoyment Elias took from that look.

“Okay, now you’re just _trying_ to be mean,” Juno said as Elias pulled him out of the dip.

“I would never,” Elias replied, and they laughed together once more.

The next song played. They danced to that one, too. At the very end, Elias felt a tapping on his shoulder.

“Hey! It’s nice to finally meet you,” Mick Mercury was saying. Sasha was standing beside him. “Mind if we cut in?”

“Oh, certainly,” Elias let go of Juno, standing back and motioning him forward.

“I wanna talk to you, later,” Mick said to Elias. His voice was kind, excited. “For now, Jay- care to join us?”

Juno just took both of his friend’s hands, and Mick pulled him closer.

Elias looked around, and caught Rita’s eye. He strode over to her, smoothly, and offered his hand.

The two of them danced, both of them occasionally looking over at the groom and his two best friends dancing like they were at a school function, obviously chatting and laughing quietly in their group. It was enviable, that sort of relationship. Elias, or, Peter, rather- felt a pang in his heart. He looked back at Rita.

“You’re _very_ good at dancing, Mista- Wait, what’s your last name?”

“Slate,” Elias supplied. “And thank you. I took lessons for _years_ ,” he said.

“Oh wow, that’s dedicated. I always thought dance lessons looked fun, sure, but who has the time?” Rita said. “Still, every time I watch one of those dance movies, I’m like ‘I should really look into dance lessons again’. I could probably get Ben to offer me a friends and family rate, right? But, then I find another dance movie to _watch_ and that’s way more pressing, so,” Rita continued on and Elias smiled as she spoke, interjecting every now again.

After a beat of silence, Elias cleared his throat, and Rita tilted her head. “I see one of the women you said you going to talk to, Rita. Your 10 O’clock,” he said. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

“Oh, hell no,” she said, suddenly pale.

“Oh, hell yes,” he said, smirking widely. “Come with me.” 

So, the two of them went to speak to the woman in the crisp black suit, who introduced herself as Joelle. Elias smoothed them into a comfortable conversation, glancing over their shoulders subtly every now and again to keep an eye on Juno, who was now dancing with just Sasha.

When Elias saw Juno step back from Sasha, he took the opportunity to strike. “Well, I should leave the two of you and get back to Juno, now. I’ll see you on the dancefloor,” he said, patting Rita on the back.

“Oh, right, okay, Mista Slate,” Rita said, then turned back to the woman, who was smirking at her with a quirked brow. _She is definitely interested_ , Elias thought.

Elias walked over to Juno and announced his arrival with a hand on Juno’s back. He and Sasha were talking.

“Oh, hi,” Sasha said.

“Hey,” Juno said, looking up at him.

“Hello, darling,” Elias greeted.

“Sooo… you said you’ve been dating for a few months?” Sasha asked.

“Yeah, thereabouts,” Juno said, voice suddenly a bit stiff.

“I see,” Sasha said. “Well. That’s good to hear, Juno,” Sasha said. She eyed Elias, but he couldn’t begin to read her expression.

“Yeah, thanks,” Juno said. It was the first time the whole evening Juno had been truly reminiscent of the sour face Elias had met when he was Duke Rose, in that coffee shop. It didn’t make Peter like him any less, though.

“I mean it,” Sasha said, slow, carefully. The two of them regarded one another.

“Right,” Juno said back with a nod. “Thanks,” he repeated, with improved sincerity.

Someone else came over to Sasha, and asked to be forgiven for interrupting before asking for her hand to dance. She accepted.

“Well, see you later,” she said, mostly to Juno.

“See you, Sasha,” Juno replied. Then, he turned back to Elias and took his hands to dance again.

“May I ask what that was all about?” Elias quirked his brow.

“You may not,” Juno replied.

Elias made a noise of amusement, “Fair.”

Juno huffed quietly. “We’ve just- got a strained relationship, at the moment. I mean, in a way, we always were at odds. Growing up, it was that kind of friendship where you were just at each other’s throats all the time and that was your normal, you didn’t mean much by it. Into adulthood… that sort of attitude didn’t age very well,” Juno told him. “Among… other issues, that would take too long to explain.”

“Ahh,” Elias said. He was quietly delighted that Juno would choose to share that with him, especially right after he said he would not.

“Yeah,” Juno shrugged. “We’ve been doing better than expected. Y’know, playing nice for Mick’s sake,” he said.

“Well, that’s good. The three of you grew up together, right?” Juno had mentioned that, at some point in their text-based discussions.

“Yeah. Benzaiten, too,” Juno chuckled inwardly. “We got in a lot of trouble together,” he said.

“You? Getting in trouble?” Elias said, and Juno laughed again. “I can’t begin to _believe_ -”

“Can it,” Juno said, and Elias just pulled him closer. As he did so, the song changed, drifting out of the soft slow-dance music to something a bit more upbeat. Elias heard cheering from some of the crowd.

Elias stepped back. “Would you like a drink, my dear detective?”

“Yeah, sure,” Juno said with a little nod.

“I’ll be right back,” Elias said, and then leaned forward and waited just a second before kissing Juno.

It was nice, kissing Juno. He would like to do it for a longer duration than they’d allowed themselves to do so far. Peter, that was, would like to do it. Arguably Elias should be used to the feeling of kissing Juno, although he _wasn’t_. Peter, or Elias- whomever, took a deep breath as he stood at the bar, glancing back at Juno, who was now talking to a woman he didn’t recognize.

Elias reeled himself in and got them each a drink. He looked around, spotting Rita dancing with the woman in the suit, smiling to himself. Rita was very nice, he liked her.

“Hey!” Elias heard, and he turned his head.

“Oh, hello there,” Elias said. He smiled at the groom, Mick Mercury.

“It’s so nice to meet you!” Mick said, going in for a half hug. Elias placed the wine flutes down and returned the gesture.

“Please, the pleasure is all mine,” Elias said as Mick pulled away. “Congratulations, by the way.”

“Thanks!” Mick clapped him on the shoulder. “I know Jay isn’t here, but, that’s just as well, really,” Mick said, looking over his shoulder, talking conspiratorially. “He tells me you’ve been dating for a couple months?”

“Yes, we have,” Elias said, smiling pleasantly.

“That’s great,” Mick said. “I was so surprised when Jay told me! I mean, he isn’t all that open with his personal stuff, especially not lately, but, still- it’s been so long since he’s dated someone,” Mick said. Then he shook his head, “So, tell me about yourself!”

“Well, I am a curator of a small art gallery in Hyperion City,” Elias said. “I’ve always had a true love and appreciation for art,” Elias went on, and Mick nodded happily.

“How’d you meet Jay?” Mick asked, leaning on the bar.

“At a pub. I couldn’t resist going over to talk to him,” Elias lied smoothly, glancing back at Juno, who just caught his eye. He smiled and lifted a hand.

“That’s so sweet,” Mick said. He glanced over and spotted Juno too. “He really deserves someone he can count on, y’know? If you’re like that, for each other, that’s really great,” Mick smiled. Elias smiled back at him.

“Hey,” Juno said to announce his arrival. Elias held out one of the wine glasses he had procured. Juno accepted it. “I see you got my boyfriend unsupervised, Mercury,” Juno lifted the wine to his lips.

Mick laughed, “Caught me red-handed! I was just shooting the breeze, Jay, I swear,” Mick lifted his hands up.

“Mhmm. I’m sure you definitely weren’t grilling him about our relationship, no,” Juno glanced from Elias to Mick and back again.

“Not at all, Juno,” Elias said. He picked up his own wine glass and sipped it. “I was just telling him about my work as a curator, and how we met, of course.”

“Mhmmmm,” Juno said, and Mick just laughed again.

“C’mon, Jay! I just wanted to come and say hi to the guy that has my best friend all giddy,” Mick said, and Juno looked at the ground.

“Well, you’ve said hi. Don’t you have a brand-new spouse to be spending time with, tonight?”

“Astrid should still be another minute or two, their favourite aunt is still talking their ear off,” Mick said, glancing over his shoulder to where Astrid was, indeed, sitting with an older lady, heads together.

“Fine,” Juno said, sipping his wine again.

“I’m just happy, to see you happy,” Mick said.

“And _I’m_ happy to see _you_ happy, Mick. You don’t have to worry about _me_ on _your_ wedding day,” Juno said, reaching out and poking Mick with a finger.

“A wedding is all about sharing your joy with those that matter to you, Juno,” Mick said. “That’s all I’m doing.”

“That’s… pretty touching, Mercury,” Juno said, finishing the glass of wine. Mick shook Juno’s shoulder.

Elias sipped his own wine, smiling at the friends. The history between them was clear as day, and it warmed his heart. This was something Peter enjoyed about weddings, even if it made his palms tingle with a sense of forlorn longing. No matter, though.

“Thanks!” Mick said. “I’ve been trying this thing, where I think things in my head before I say them! It’s been going really well,” Mick went on. “And I’ve been thinking of starting to write some of my thoughts down, like a journal! Apparently they’re totally good for getting your life together.”

Juno snorted, “Well, if anyone needs help doing that,” he rolled his eyes. “Well, maybe that’s not fair. I mean, you are the only one of us who has successfully married, now.”

Mick smirked, “For now, Jay. You’ll get there, someday!” His eyes flicked to Elias, who pressed his lips together to hide a grin unsuccessfully.

Juno just scoffed, then glanced at Elias as well. “Yeah. Well _we’re_ not talking about that yet, we’ve only been dating for five months.”

“Astrid and I got engaged at six!” Mick told him, and Juno shook his head. “Speaking of, I think I’m gonna go catch them for a moment. It was _really_ great to meet you, Eli,” Mick clapped Elias on the shoulder again and then took off.

Juno shook his head and snatched the second wine flute from Elias, downing it. “He drives me to drink,” Juno shook his head once more.

“Evidently,” Elias laughed in his nose. He turned and requested two more glasses, then leaned one elbow on the bar.

After that, Juno spent most of the night flitting around with Elias at his heels, save for the moments he would be dancing with another person and Elias would politely step back. The only other people Juno _really_ spent any time dancing with was Rita, and a couple times he was pulled away to dance with Benzaiten, or Mick, or Sasha or some combination of the three.

As the hours started to pass, Elias felt a warmth in his cheeks from the wine, and a warmth in his heart from the atmosphere.

At one point later in the evening, Juno pulled him outside, for some air. Rita was out there, too, sitting and yammering to a different pretty lady than the one she’d been talking up earlier.

Juno leaned on the railing of the porch, a hand on his chin. Elias regarded him in the dim rays from the fairy lights strung on the roof trim and railing.

“Are _you_ having fun?” Juno asked, his voice airy, as he glanced over at Elias.

“I am,” Elias said truthfully. “Despite not knowing many people here, I’ve felt nothing but warmth and inclusion.”

“Mick draws a pretty good crowd. Sometimes,” Juno laughed. Elias wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, but he could hazard a guess.

Juno yawned, covering his mouth.

“Me too, Mista Steel,” they heard, and Rita was bumping her shoulder against Juno’s.

“Oh, hey, Rita,” Juno said.

“Hi,” Rita said. “I just wanted to come over and say goodnight! Rita’s getting _outta here!_ ” she laughed, glancing back to the woman she’d been talking to. Elias noticed the woman with the black suit, Joelle, was standing nearby as well. 

“Oh, okay,” Juno said. He stood up, and the two of them hugged.

“Would you like a hug, too, Mista Slate?” Rita asked, opening her arms to Elias.

“I would be honored,” Elias said, and the three of them laughed. Rita hugged him tightly around the middle. It was a good hug.

“Bye!” Rita said, then she turned around and walked away. The two women trailed after her, and she turned her head to grin at them. 

Juno laughed once she was out of earshot. “Damn, Rita,” he muttered. Elias laughed as well.

Moments later, Juno took a deep breath, and then turned to Elias again. “Wanna head back inside?”

“Sure thing,” Elias said, holding out his arm. Juno took it, and they walked back in.

Juno led them back to the dancefloor, something a bit sexier than earlier was playing. Most of the children present had gone home, and the adults left were getting drunker by the minute.

Mick and Astrid were nowhere in sight. Neither was Benzaiten, though Elias spotted Sasha sitting at a table on her comms.

Juno pressed his body to Elias, his hands coming up to Elias’ shoulders. Elias held Juno’s hips, in return. Elias ducked his head down, and waited, glancing from Juno’s eyes, to his lips.

Juno gave a subtle nod, and Elias kissed him, more deeply than he had earlier in the night. Juno kissed back, his hands trailing to the back of Elias’ neck. Elias’ hands moved to Juno’s back, holding him as he slipped his tongue into Juno’s mouth.

It was a good kiss. It was a great kiss, in fact. It was like Peter had imagined it to be, but better. Sadly, it did not last as long as Peter would have liked.

Juno pulled back, a smirk on his face. Then, he laughed.

“Is something funny, my darling detective?” Elias asked, bemused. Juno shook his head.

“I just- forgot myself, for a second,” Juno said. He glanced Elias up and down. “I was about to ask you if you wanted to get out of here, but- well, you know” Juno rolled his eyes.

“Oh,” Elias said. His eyes darkened, “I dare say, Juno… perhaps you _should_ ask,” Elias said.

Juno perked a brow. “You.. want to get out of here?”

Elias dropped his lips next to Juno’s ear, whispering, “I’d like nothing more.”

Juno chuckled lightly, and pulled back just enough to kiss Elias again. Elias gripped his waist, slipping his tongue back into Juno’s mouth eagerly.

Juno pulled back with another laugh. “Well, let’s go if we’re going,” he said against Elias’ lips. They kissed once more, and then Elias finally pulled back fully, holding Juno’s hands.

“You lead the way, darling,” Elias told him.

“I’ve just got to go upstairs and get my stuff out of the room the wedding party got ready in,” Juno said. Then, he led the way. 

The upstairs hallway was awfully quiet. Elias kept one hand on the small of Juno’s back as Juno punched in a code to the little room. The lights flickered on, dim, and Juno went over to a chair that had his coat slung across it. 

“Here we are,” Juno said, folding the coat over his arm.

“Good,” Elias said. Juno turned towards him and they reached for each other at the same time. Elias pressed him back and Juno leaned against the table, parting his lips once again. Elias slid his hand to Juno’s backside, pulling him closer.

Juno moaned, and it was a beautiful sound. Elias wanted to hear it again, and again.

“God,” Juno breathed, and Elias laughed against his lip. He ducked his head to Juno’s neck, and Juno tilted it to give him access as he kissed him lightly.

The lights flickered off again and Juno jumped. Elias laughed at him, and then they both waved their arms to get the lights back on.

“Maybe that’s a sign we should actually go,” Juno said.

“Mhh, true,” Elias said, but then they were kissing again. He simply couldn’t help himself. It seemed Juno couldn’t, either, so at least he wasn’t alone.

Juno finally pulled away, looking Elias up and down slowly. “Seriously,” he chuckled, “I have a room just across the parking lot, with a bed,” Juno finished. Elias nodded.

They managed to make it into the hall upstairs before Elias dipped down to kiss Juno on the cheek and Juno smirked up at him, stopping so he could kiss Elias. That swiftly lead to Juno pressing Elias against the wall and kissing him deeply again.

Elias- no, _Peter_ knew, in that moment, he would let Juno press him against the wall and kiss him anywhere, anytime.

Elias gripped the fabric of Juno’s dress, gathering it up in his hand a bit to shorten the skirt. Juno pulled back with a laugh and a gasp.

“Eli,” he hissed, but he was still laughing and grinning. Elias dropped the fabric and shrugged, sheepish. “Hey,” he murmured, “I didn’t say to stop,” Juno whispered against his lips. Elias perked a brow.

Juno looked down the hall, at the stairwell, and then back at Elias. He licked his lips, then turned so he was the one with his back to the wall. He made a little motion with his head, beckoning Elias forward.

Elias, like Peter, was not a very strong man when it came to sultry ladies in empty halls. He stepped forward, one hand returning to Juno’s hip, the other on his cheek to tilt Juno’s face up to his.

Juno kissed him eagerly and spread his legs as much as the dress would allow to accommodate Elias’ knee between them. Elias bunched Juno’s skirt again.

“Hmm,” Juno hummed as he pulled back. “You know the interesting thing,” he paused to kiss Elias quickly, “about this style of dress?” he kissed Elias again, “or, at least, the fabric?” he said, kissing Elias one more.

“What is that?” Elias asked, skimming his hand along Juno’s thigh.

“It looks much better without underwear underneath it,” Juno whispered. Elias felt those words go straight through him and he perked a brow. “There are always lines, if you wear it,” he murmured.

“Very interesting indeed,” Elias replied quietly. He bit his lip and kissed Juno again, tongue sweeping into his mouth. He felt Juno’s hand come up to his, brushing against it, encouraging it slightly towards his inner thigh.

Elias did not need to be told thrice. He pulled up the fabric of Juno’s skirt deftly, including the overlay, and slipped his hand underneath and onto Juno’s inner thigh. Juno spread his legs a little further.

Elias skimmed his fingertips upwards slowly, hearing Juno’s breath quicken. He felt his own cock get harder at the sound, at the feeling of Juno’s skin at his hands. He came up to a patch of thicker hair and skimmed his fingertips there, too. Juno whined.

“Please,” he murmured. Elias smirked.

“Patience, darling,” Elias murmured. Juno glared at him. Elias slipped his fingers between Juno’s folds moments later, finding his clit and pressing a gentle circle around it.

“God,” Juno whined again.

“You’re breathtaking,” Elias murmured, his cheek pressed to Juno’s. One of Juno’s hands was at his shoulder, the other on his hip. Both were squeezing him tightly.

“Just- don’t tease,” Juno mumbled back, sounding strained.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Elias lied. He would dream of it. Possibly for a long time to come, if he were honest, but he wasn’t thinking of the future right now. The present was entirely too decadent.

Still, Elias slid his fingers down and sunk one into Juno’s cunt. Juno shut his eyes and bit back a moan. Elias fingered him slowly, a bit tentative, watching carefully for Juno’s reaction. As far as he could tell, they were all positive reactions, Juno gasping quietly and letting out little whining moans.

Elias whispered into Juno’s ear how beautiful he was, and Juno squirmed, but Elias didn’t take it as a bad thing.

“Is this good, darling?” he asked after a moment, genuine curiosity in his voice. It was always wise to ask, after all.

“Harder,” Juno groaned softly, so Elias shifted his weight slightly to brace himself a bit differently, then curled his fingers and gave Juno what he requested.

Elias used his thumb to press Juno’s clit, nudging in time with the rhythm of his fingering.

He felt Juno’s nails claw into his shoulder as he came.

“Fuck,” Juno slumped against the wall, his hand on Elias’ shoulder sliding down to his bicep. Elias smirked, and then stuck his fingers into his mouth without much of a thought. Juno shook his head at him, disbelieving.

“Would you like to go to your room, now, darling?” Elias said a moment later, and Juno looked at him with heavy eyes. He looked Elias up and down.

“Hm. It might be risky, to blow you in the hall, huh?” Juno said. Elias laughed.

“We’ve been lucky so far,” Elias glanced back at the stairwell, it looked closer than he remembered. “But..” he breathed.

Juno looked at the stairwell, and then at the other side of the hall. “Well, here,” he said, taking Elias’ hand and pulling him behind a decorative tree that was on one side of the hall.

“Ah, yes, excellent coverage. I can certainly see some of your private investigation skills peeking through,” Elias said.

“Shut up,” Juno whispered, kissing him again. Elias obeyed the demand with no fanfare, kissing back as he felt Juno’s hands come to his belt

“Mmh,” Elias murmured. He kept his hands at his sides as Juno undid his belt and pulled at the zipper of his dress pants, before slipping his hand down the front.

While it wasn’t always as _fun_ , Peter had the ability to be deadly silent under even the most pressing circumstances. Still, he allowed himself a soft noise as he felt Juno glide his fingers up the side of his cock. Obviously, repayment for the teasing he’d done earlier. “Juno,” Elias breathed.

Juno smirked at him, an absolutely devilish look on his face. Juno pushed down Elias’ pants and underwear just enough to free him, and then leaned forward to kiss his jaw and neck as he stroked Elias’ cock leisurely.

Elias didn’t have a chance to complain about the teasing, though, because Juno was quickly dropping to his knees.

Biting a lip, Elias glanced over his shoulder just once, feeling much more exposed in the hallway without Juno’s body at least pressed near his own. He wasn’t about to stop things now, though- he had no desire to, despite the irresponsibility of this decision. He sucked in a sharp breath and looked back down as Juno licked the tip of his cock.

That smirk was still firmly on Juno’s face, obviously thrilled. Elias could only assume the semi-public nature of their liaison was helping to spur that, though he hoped Juno was just as eager because it was _him_ , as that was how Elias (well. _Peter_ ) felt about Juno, at the time being.

Wistful musing about what they might mean to each other aside, Elias kept himself relatively tight-lipped as Juno sucked him off. He held just the back of Juno’s head, not wanting to send the already-loose flowers in his hair further askew.

Juno had his hands on Elias’ thighs, the faint noise of the party still happening beneath them doing nothing to mask the sound of Juno’s mouth on his cock.

Juno spent most of the time sucking him in deeply, bobbing up and down Elias’ cock, but occasionally he would pull back long enough to swirl his tongue around the head of his cock and suck, hard, just there. It was intoxicating, watching him.

Therefore, it didn’t take Elias long to hiss, “Juno, I’m close.” And then, for, Juno to stop for just a second to say,

“Well, obviously I want you to come in my mouth. Where else?” he asked. He licked up the side of Elias’ cock again, and then took him back in his mouth, sucking once more.

Elias shut his eyes momentarily as the wave of pleasure hit him moments later, biting down on his lip to stop from crying out as he so wished to. 

Elias’ chest heaved as Juno leaned away, swallowing, and then stood back up. Then, Elias took a few moments to stuff himself back into his pants and buckle his belt as Juno adjusted his dress, making sure nothing was sticking anywhere it shouldn’t be.

“Okay,” Juno started, smirking. Elias laughed. “Now, you may walk me back to my room,” he said, “if you’d still like to do that, that is.”

“Of course,” Elias said, and he offered his elbow to Juno again.

As they walked down the stairs, only moments later, they met with Sasha once again on the stairwell.

“Hey, Juno,” she said. Juno smiled at her, cheerful.

“Hi Sasha. Heading out?”

“Yep,” she said, “you too?”

“We are,” Juno said, patting Elias’ elbow.

“Okay. Goodnight,” Sasha said.

“You too, Sasha,” Juno replied, sounding more sincere than he had when speaking to Sasha earlier in the night.

Elias gave her a smile, too, and they continued on their way. Juno started laughing once Sasha was relatively out of earshot. Elias chuckled lightly, and they exited the event building.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a pretty quick walk across the parking lot to Juno’s room in the motel. It was nice, to get some fresh air, particularly after all of _that_.

Juno pulled a key card from the pocket of the trench coat folded on his arms, and then swiped them into the room.

It wasn’t a particularly lavish room, but it wasn’t Godawful either. It wasn’t as if Elias, or even Peter, would care about that at this point, though.

Once the door had shut behind them, he slipped his hands around Juno’s waist, just as Juno turned towards him. Their lips met and Juno’s hands trailed back down to Elias’ belt buckle, undoing it once again. Juno stepped back a few moments later and stepped out of his shoes, turning as he unzipped his dress and walked further into the room.

Elias took the moment to toe off his dress shoes and shrug off his jacket, then unbutton his waistcoat. His suit was a charcoal colour, complimentary to the lighter grey of the wedding party.

“I’m just gonna wait for a second,” Juno said, the shoulders of his dress loose, “once I take this off I’m going to be fully naked.”

Elias laughed, removing his waistcoat and folding it across the chair. “Well, I can’t say I’m happy for the delay in seeing you nude,” he looked Juno up and down, working on his tie, “but fair is fair.”

As Elias started to unbutton his shirt, though, Juno shimmed out of the dress and sat on the bed. Elias tossed his shirt on the floor and discarded his belt, as well.

“Suits have so many pieces,” Juno mumbled. Elias laughed.

“You don’t like the anticipation?” Elias asked, unzipping his pants a bit more slowly.

“I’m not a very patient lady,” Juno said. Elias dropped his pants and underwear and walked over to Juno, leaning forward to kiss him.

“Well, I shan’t keep you waiting much longer, then,” Elias said, making Juno laugh as he kissed down Juno’s neck, then gracefully moved to his knees in front of the bed.

Elias placed his hands on Juno’s thighs and Juno parted them without much prompting. Elias kissed up his thighs, feeling Juno’s hand come up to brush back his hair.

True, Elias had a little taste of Juno earlier in the evening, after fingering him in the hallway. Still, he was _incredibly_ eager to have Juno on his tongue in earnest.

Juno pressed his hips forward as Elias came up close, using his fingers to part Juno’s lips before teasing Juno’s clit with the tip of his tongue.

Now that they were actually alone, Juno groaned much more loudly. The sound was music to Elias’ ears, and he wanted to hear it again. Thankfully, he had the perfect opportunity to make that happen.

Elias licked a stripe from Juno’s entrance to his clit before pressing his tongue more firmly at the spot. Juno responded with enthusiasm, tugging at Elias’ hair. Elias pulled back to smirk for just a second before diving in, being experimental and paying attention to Juno’s hand on his hair as well as the noises he was making. He toyed with Juno’s clit with his tongue before stopping to suck, which Juno _definitely_ seemed to like.

“God,” Juno whined, tugging Elias’ hair even harder. “Fuck,” he panted.

Elias pulled back for another moment, looking up at Juno’s face. He slipped one finger inside of Juno, moving slowly. “Good, so far? Any notes?”

Juno laughed, leaning his head back. “You’re good. I like the sucking,” he said.

“I figured as much,” Elias said. So, he leaned back in and continued what he was doing.

Some time later, he heard Juno groan, “Elias-“ and felt Juno push back on his head just slightly. He pulled back. “I want you- inside of me. Wait,” Juno’s eyes went wide. Elias tilted his head, concerned. “Fuck, I don’t know if I have any condoms.”

“Hm,” Elias leaned back, thoughtful. “I’m don’t know if I have any, either. Well, why don’t I just… get you off, like this, and we can consider our options after that point?”

Juno chuckled. “Okay,” he said. He leaned down, and Elias moved forward again, slipping two fingers inside Juno before tonguing his clit yet again.

It didn’t take much longer, after that, for Juno to come again. He did so with a loud moan and a hand pulling at Elias’ hair. Elias was content.

Elias got back up, feeling Juno’s hand fall to his shoulder and skim down his arm. He smiled, and Juno reached for him. Elias sat next to Juno on the bed and they kissed once again.

“Mh, Elias,” Juno said, smirking. “Or should I call you Duke, now?” Juno asked.

He chuckled. “Well- I suppose you could call me by my _real_ name,” Elias said.

“Oh?” Juno asked. “Duke isn’t your real name, either? How many names do you have, anyway?” Juno said, his voice teasing. Even so, Elias could tell he sincerely wanted to know.

“Too many to count,” he said, kissing Juno again.

Juno laughed again. “Okay,” he said slowly, “so, which one do I call you, then?” Juno kissed him again.

“Peter,” he whispered. Juno opened his eyes, looking into Peter’s eyes before flicking to his lips.

“Peter,” Juno breathed, kissing him again. “I like that,” Juno murmured.

Peter felt an electricity move through his body, hearing Juno say his name like that. He smiled at him. It was almost as exhilarating as the stunt they pulled in the hallway, honestly. Peter almost started to push Juno back down to the bed, but then he pulled back.

“We were supposed to, um, see if we could find a condom?” Peter asked, perking a brow.

“Right,” Juno said. “For the record, I don’t even care if we don’t use one, but,” he stood up, and Peter stood as well, going over to his suit jack and pants.

“No?” Peter asked, anyway, glancing back as he checked each pocket. He saw Juno shrug.

“I can’t get pregnant,” Juno said, rooting around in his bag, “and as long as you don’t have any infections. Ugh,” he kept digging around his stuff. Then, he hummed in thought. “It might be hot to have you come inside me, actually,” Juno added.

Peter swallowed, “Well... I assure you, I am free of infection. You do have a point,” he said, his voice wavering.

It _did_ sound appealing, but this was not something he would usually compromise on, not with a stranger, anyway. And he was so infrequently with someone who couldn’t be considered a stranger. He ignored that thought.

“Never mind!” Juno said, standing and holding a condom between two fingers. “There’s like five there. Rita always stuffs them everywhere,” he said.

Peter chuckled. “A good friend,” he said.

They met back at the bed and Juno tossed the condom onto the bed, sliding his hands over Peter’s chest.

“Sooo you didn’t come prepared for a… possible _connection_?” Juno asked, tilting his head to kiss Peter on the lips.

Peter held Juno’s elbows and laughed. “A grievous error. I should have known,” Peter said.

“Tell me,” Juno whispered, “do you _connect_ with most of your clients?”

“No,” Peter murmured. “I don’t tell them my name, either,” he whispered back, trailing the back of one hand down Juno’s side.

“Lucky me, then,” Juno said. He moved back towards the bed, and Peter waited for him to settle back onto it before following him. They moved closer to the middle, kissing whenever they were close enough to do so.

Peter grabbed the condom from the bed and leaned back again to put it on. Juno bent his knees, watching Peter with a lusty gaze.

Peter crawled between Juno’s legs, slipping one hand under Juno’s knee. Juno breathed out, audible, biting his lip.

“Peter,” Juno whined, and Peter used his free hand to take his cock, slipping it between Juno’s folds and nudging Juno’s clit with the head of his cock. Juno’s eyes fluttered closed and he moaned again.

“You’re ethereal,” Peter murmured, and Juno let out a little laugh.

“Peter,” Juno repeated, “please,” he said. Peter watched Juno’s face, repeating the motion with his cock, waiting until he opened his eyes again before positioning himself and sliding his cock into Juno’s cunt.

“God,” Juno tilted his head back again, and Peter leaned forward to kiss Juno on the neck, his hand coming near Juno’s head to steady himself. He started moving slowly, feeling Juno’s hands come up to his back. “Harder,” he heard Juno moan, before long.

“Of course,” Peter murmured, and he saw Juno smirk at him as he paused for a moment to shift his weight before thrusting into Juno harder, just as requested.

“Fuck, Peter,” Juno mumbled. Peter shut his eyes for just a moment, before leaning forward again to suck a bruise into Juno’s neck.

“You’re breathtaking like this, Juno,” Peter whispered, hearing Juno whine, possibly at his words. “I could look at you all day.”

Juno just groaned in response, pushing his hips up to meet Peter’s movements. Eventually, Peter moved back to slip his hand between their bodies, using his fingertip to circle Juno’s clit again.

“Fuck,” Juno groaned, his foot pushing into Peter’s back to keep him pressed close.

For a third time, Juno came, hands twisted in the bedsheets.

Peter paused for a moment after, but Juno nudged his foot on Peter’s hip again, and Peter resumed his thrusting for another minute or so until he was coming, too.

“Dammit,” Juno muttered as Peter pulled out of him, getting off of the bed to do away with the condom. He watched Juno lying back on the bed, his arm over his eyes and his chest heaving. Peter smiled.

Juno slowly peeled himself off the bed, then ducked into the bathroom for a minute. Peter found his underwear and pulled them back on, then sat on the edge of the bed. Juno wasn’t long, walking back over to Peter and slipping his fingers into Peter’s hair. The flowers in Juno’s hair were gone.

Peter put his hands on Juno’s waist, his eyes looking him up and down in slowly. Juno leaned down and kissed him for a long moment, then sidestepped Peter to crawl on the bed and settle near the headboard.

Peter got up and walked over to the other side of the bed, sitting next to Juno, this time. Juno reached for Peter, and their lips met again. When Juno broke it off, it was with a laugh.

“Something funny, dear detective?” Peter asked.

“I can’t believe we fooled around in the hallway like that,” Juno said, amusement and thrill in his voice.

“Was this… unusual behavior for you? You seemed very confident in the course of action,” Peter teased. Juno just laughed again, shrugging one shoulder. 

“Well… It’s not like I’ve _never_ done something like that before,” Juno glanced down, then back up, smirking. Peter ran his hand over Juno’s hair. “And hey, you seemed similarly… unperturbed,” Juno said.

“I’m no stranger to… risky situations,” Peter said delicately.

“Yeah?” Juno tilted his head as he started to shuffle under the covers. Peter joined him, and Juno snuggled closer.

“Once could say that, yes,” Peter said. Juno traced shapes on Peter’s chest.

“Who _are_ you, Peter?” Juno asked. Peter smiled wistfully, running his hand through Juno’s hair.

“That, my darling Juno, is a question that would take _far_ too long to answer.”

“Mmhm,” Juno murmured, eying him curiously. “So, you’re a man that goes by many names, and is cagey about his true self… Good actor, too. There definitely aren’t any conclusions I, a private investigator, could draw about you,” his voice was teasing, a bit sarcastic. It wasn’t not angry, or even pressing, really.

Peter laughed airily and Juno chuckled along with him. “Well, darling, I’ll let you draw whatever conclusions you like.”

“Fine,” Juno said with another little laugh, if a bit huffy. Peter was glad. He knew, logically, Juno could probably draw conclusions with a relative amount of accuracy, but he still wasn’t about to _actually_ reveal any further details about himself. No, he’d said far too much already. Damn his romantic heart.

Peter watched as Juno shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on Juno’s forehead, and then pulled back to see the soft smile on Juno’s lips.

“Well,” Juno sighed, blinking his eyes open again, “if we’re not going to stay up all night exchanging deep and personal life stories, I’m going to sleep. It’s been a long fucking day,” Juno mumbled, shutting his eyes.

“Goodnight, Juno,” Peter said softly. He leaned forward one last time and they kissed.

“Night, Peter,” Juno murmured, then pulled the sheets up to his chin and curled up on his side.

Peter waited until he was fairly certain Juno was asleep, and then slipped out of the bed. He went to the bathroom, shutting the door before turning on the lights, and then washed his face, rinsed out his mouth, and so on.

He shut the lights off before leaving the bathroom again. Juno was snoring when he re-entered the bedroom. Peter smiled, waiting a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the dark before moving again.

He went to his dress pants and grabbed his comms, then sighed to himself. There were three messages there, none of which he wanted to deal with; especially not when there was a beautiful lady on the bed who was presumably expecting him to stay the night in the motel room. He left the device on silent and placed it down momentarily. 

Peter slowly collected his belongings. He got dressed quietly, something he was skilled at doing, and then looked over on the desk in the motel room. As there usually was, there was a pen and notepad sat there.

He thought to himself for a moment, and then went over to the desk. He took the pen and paper and crouched next to the window to get as much light as possible and scrawled,

 _Dear Juno_ ,

_I had a lovely time working with you, and a much lovelier time spending time with you outside of the parameters of our business engagement._

_Sadly, some other business I need to attend to will be taking me off Mars for quite some time. I wish I could spend more time with you, but alas, it is not in the stars. Not now, anyway. Still, I will miss you._

_Until we meet again,_

_Peter N._

Peter risked a quiet sigh, then folded the note neatly. He looked at his comms. Four messages now. He would have to leave tonight. He slipped the device into his pocket and looked over at Juno.

Oh, how he wanted to undress and slip under the covers beside Juno Steel. As he’d said in his note though, it was unwritten.

He went over to Juno’s coat and slipped his note the pocket. There, his finger brushed against something metal. Curious, he grabbed the object.

It was Juno’s watch, the one he mentioned getting from an early case. Peter smiled.

He probably shouldn’t have, but he slipped the watch on his wrist. He told himself he was only borrowing it. Peter would return it to Juno, the next time they crossed paths. And he had to believe they would cross paths again.

With that, Peter glanced over at Juno one last time before he doublechecked he had all of his things. Then, like a thief in the night, he slipped through the door without a sound, and it softly clicked shut behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus ends the Wedding of Mick Mercury! Stay tuned for part two of this series~ Thank you for reading, please consider leaving kudos or a comment if you liked it :>


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